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Wednesday, September 10, 2014

The world's major online companies, along with smaller websites, have
united in a symbolic ‘Internet Slowdown’ protest against proposed US
regulations that would introduce segregation in internet surfing speeds
and kill “net neutrality.”The central theme of the
protest on September 10 is to rally around a revolving icon –
symbolizing slowly loading online content – as a way of
illustrating how the loss of net neutrality would harm websites
and other online services if a new US-proposed regulation goes
into action.
Internet giants such as Netflix who rely on a fast internet
stream to offer their users HD access to their movie library are
at the front lines of the movement, which united over the social
media under the #NetNeutrality hashtag.

Leading Internet companies including Reddit, Foursquare, Mozilla, Vimeo, and Wordpress announced their support for the protest by displaying the loading symbol while urging their users to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission, Congress and the White House.

“Not to worry, the icon you are seeing today will not
actually slow down your internet service. But it is there to warn
Web visitors of what world's cyberspace could be like if Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) were allowed to charge more for faster
access,” Fight for the Future, the group behind the advocacy
event, said in their call to action.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) aims to introduce
changes in existing rules allowing cable giants like AT&T,
Comcast and Verizon to operate a two-tiered internet, with
“slow lanes” for most internet companies, and “fast
lanes” for those willing to pay extra.

“The FCC would like to roll back Title II protections for the
internet, which means that they see a world which the internet is
no longer a wonderful playing field it is where everyone has a
voice,” Liz McIntyre, a consumer privacy expert and eHOw
tech columnist, told RT. “By rolling this back, they would
put the power over the internet into the hands of a very small
group of very, very powerful people, namely the telecommunication
companies.”

“The vision is that once Title II protections are no longer
there then it will be up to the organizations in charge to decide
exactly who gets what service and how fast that service will
be,” McIntyre added.

With the open comment period due to end on September 15, the FCC
is expected to issue a final rule as soon as the end of the year.
The new guidelines aim to replace the FCC's 2010 open internet
order, which was struck down by a federal appeals court in
January this year. The current debate focuses on the issue of
“net neutrality” and the way two-tier internet traffic
would impact competition, consumers, free speech and civic
engagement.

To remind the FCC that internet is a “common carrier” –
with its content to be delivered to users at equal speeds – more
action is planned for this month. The campaign will include
rallies in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, on
September 15-18.